US-ASEAN Summit Concludes Today

US President Joe Biden opened the two-day US-ASEAN summit yesterday with a pledge to spend USD$150 million on infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness, and measure to counter the influence of rival China in South East Asia.

• The summit will continue today with an emphasis on global issues. This will include more on China and Russia.
• 11:30 ET 16:30 BST: US VP Kamala Harris hosts the ASEAN leaders for a working lunch.
• 15:30 ET 20:30 BST: Biden and ASEAN leaders exchange views on regional and global issues.
• Full agenda here: https://www.state.gov/agenda-us-asean-summit/
• At the concluding discussion on global issues, Biden is expected to push for greater coordination on Russia but ambivalence amongst ASEAN leadership is unlikely to change. Support for the US led coalition opposing Russia in Asia Pacific remains limited to staunch allies South Korea and Japan.
• Foreign Policy: 'Most of these countries either aren’t democracies or are so deeply flawed as democracies that they’re less than inspired by the rhetoric.’
• The Biden administration will be hopeful that the second objective of the summit will be more successful- to enhance the current US-ASEAN 'strategic partnership' to bring it inline with Australia and China.
• However, it is difficult to see how the US can match China's economic power in the region.
• Reuters: 'In November [last year], China pledged USD$1.5 billion in development assistance to ASEAN countries over three years to fight COVID and fuel economic recovery.'